35
They settled beside each other again after Jo had hurriedly removed the tea tray. They were sitting with the contracts held up as if they were poker players, not wanting to give an inch.
“You first,” Jo breathed as she held her list in front of her mouth. Her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest at the thought of having to reveal it, yet she was yearning to know what his reaction would be.
“‘The duchess will manage her own money. The duke will help at her request but never make decisions on his own. The duchess’ autonomy trumps any fear of gossip, scandal or emotional discomfort’,” Robert began.
He sent her a questioning look, but Jo only nodded that she agreed and he could continue:
“‘The duchess will stay a minimum of six weeks at her seaside cottage in the summer or the autumn, along with the duke and the children.’ I wrote this before I realized just how tiny the house was,” Robert said as he looked around with mischief in his eyes.
“But we will manage.” He smiled before his eyes returned to the paper again and he continued reading: “’However, if the duchess is expecting or her youngest child is less than six months old, the family will travel directly to Riddlesmarsh Hall when the season ends. ’”
Jo nodded again, lowering her paper slightly, pressing it to her chest instead of her mouth.
It was evident that their first contract had been written by two strangers needing a plan to guide them into this uncharted territory.
This second list was written by someone who knew her, who wanted her, who envisioned spending the rest of his life by her side.
The thought almost made Jo cry again, but she gulped heavily. She wanted to hear what Robert said.
“’The couple will have as many children as the duchess would like. The duke and duchess will raise the children together and both will have a say in important decisions regarding them. All boys will attend Eton from the age of twelve.’” Robert raised his eyebrows in question as he finished reading.
“You… you can write a minimum of five,” Jo said hoarsely. “Provided that my health is not at risk. I have grown rather fond of the idea of a large brood.”
Robert’s beaming smile drew one from her as well.
She bit her lip as she contemplated whether to tell him, then thought that he had already told her he loved her and that nothing she said could scare him away.
When Robert looked down to correct the third clause of the contract, she decided to plunge in while his eyes were not on her.
“When we met in London and talked about having children – I had this idea of us – and the children, on the beach here in Lymington. We had found a fossilized sea urchin and all of them were gathered around me as I explained to them how this thing that seemed like a stone had once been a living being…” Jo trailed off as she could not gauge the expression on Robert’s face.
“Where was I?” he asked her hoarsely.
“Standing behind them with the baby on the arm watching with an amused and fond expression,” she told him earnestly.
“Jo,” Robert breathed and Jo steeled herself for him to tease her or say something foolish. His eyes searched her face with confused devotion before he leaned forward and kissed her softly. “I would like nothing more.”
He rested his forehead against hers.
“In my vision, we are in the sitting room in Riddlesmarsh Hall. I have the youngest on my knee and the rest of them are piled together around you while you are reading to them.”
“Oh,” Jo exclaimed softly. She could vividly see the lovely situation he had just conjured. “You just thought of it or…”
“No,” Robert said as he raised his head to look into her eyes. “When we met in the garden. This is what I imagined. It was so vivid that it played a large part in why I agreed to marry you. I wanted that to come true and somehow, I felt certain it would if I married you.”
Jo gulped, then gulped again, but was unable to speak. She squeezed his hand as she quickly dried her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, her other hand still clutching the paper.
Robert seemed to sense that she needed a moment.
“I should like a dog as well. Or three in fact,” he told her.
“Oh, well, sure,” Jo muttered, the surprise evident in her voice.
“You don’t like dogs?”
“I have never had a dog. But you can have as many as you like. There is no need to put that in the contract.”
Robert offered her a small smile, before he looked at the paper and continued reading:
“’The duke and duchess will display a united public front and help each other in their respective public pursuits.
They will share a bedroom, eat dinner together every night, and never go to bed angry.
The duke will respect when the duchess needs time to be alone and gather her thoughts – and the duchess will respect that the duke is not perfect but is only ever acting with her best interests in mind. ’”
Jo chuckled watery as she nodded, once again drying her eyes.
“’The duke and duchess will always be honest with each other and no infidelity will be tolerated in the union. The duke will always love the duchess –‘”
“And the duchess will always love him,” Jo interrupted in a hoarse voice and watched as Robert added it to his list, before he continued reading: “‘But will also know that every couple fights and that there are times when they need to be apart or to work harder to maintain their relationship.’”
Jo was nodding before he had finished. Then launched herself at him, embracing him fiercely. Robert held her tightly and she enjoyed feeling his body pressed against hers. Not in a sexual way, but in a way that said that they belonged together and would be able to figure everything out.
Robert gently released his arms and nudged her to sit upright again.
“I would like you to sign it,” he told her earnestly and handed her the pen.
Jo tentatively took it and signed her name at the bottom, Josephine, Duchess of Riddlesmarsh, before she handed it back to him. She watched as Robert with a practiced movement signed his name beneath hers: Robert Montgomery, Duke of Riddlesmarsh.
Robert carefully placed the paper on the tea table and let the pen hold it open as they waited for it to dry.
“May I hear your contract?” he asked as he turned to her.
Jo’s nervousness was back immediately. Her heart pounded once more as she slowly released it from her clutch and handed it to him.
“I… I would rather that you read it,” she mumbled and looked away as he accepted the paper.
“Out loud?” Robert asked as he was unfolding the paper.
“Yes?” Jo muttered and knew it sounded like a question.
She had double-checked that she had taken the right list. The one to present him with if he wanted to commit to her, rather than have a marriage of convenience.
But she had never expected him to tell her that he loved her.
It somehow made her more nervous, despite the fact that it should give her at least a modicum of calm in presenting him with the list.
“Week One,” Robert began in an assured, matter-of-fact tone: “Consummate the marriage.”
He looked almost dumbfounded at her, his mouth open and his eyes wide.
“Continue,” Jo breathed, not wanting to know yet why he looked so stunned.
“Consummate the marriage. Often and repeatedly in as many places as possible. Though not in a public setting where we could be caught,” Robert gulped as he read the first part.
“The duke will take charge of the matter, since he is the one with the most experience, but also because the duchess enjoys it.”
Jo’s cheeks were flaming and she could not look at him. She could sense Robert was looking at her but could not bring herself to turn and meet his eyes.
“Week Two: Tear nightgown into pieces. Experiment with different positions including… Oh my, you are almost making me blush at having to read this out loud,” he chuckled, but she could hear it was not at her expense.
“Jo,” he said softly and moved closer to her, bringing his arm around her and pulling her into his side. Jo was relieved that he did not try to make her look at him.
“Week Three: Upon reaching Riddlesmarsh Hall…”
“I thought we could spend a couple of weeks here. Just the two of us,” Jo interrupted him.
“I should like that very much,” Robert said and pressed a kiss to her temple, drawing her even closer to him. “Upon reaching Riddlesmarsh Hall, the couple will be intimate in as many rooms as possible, including…”
“This is just a general list of ideas since I haven’t been.”
“I will help you with a complete list,” Robert assured her and she could hear the smirk in his voice.
“Week Four: Be intimate once a day… Just once?” He kissed a place behind her ear that made Jo arch into him.
“Well, I didn’t know what the norm was. But I thought it might mark a good transition from our honeymoon to…” she gasped as Robert kissed her neck, “…married life,” she breathed.
“Jo, you can have no doubt that I would sign this list in a heartbeat,” Robert told her, leaning forward and grabbing the pen from the table. This time he only signed with his first name, before handing the pen to her.
“You… you are not scandalized?” Jo breathed as she focused on writing her own name, simply writing the two letters that people who cared for her called her.
“I am delighted,” Robert told her and hauled her into his arms again. “And now please, show me where your bedroom is. Even though I love your enthusiasm in experimenting with different settings, I would like our first time to be in a bed.”